City I hate but opportunity I love, go or stay?

I grew up in a large city and it used to be alright, lately, though, I can't stand the city whatsoever. I simply can't stand it, the people are mean and rude, there's a fear of going on transit and it feels like I live inside a box, it's consuming. I love nature and I love smaller communities, I especially would love to live near family who are in a town rather than the city. However, they still have an hour drive to the city if they must but they have nature & it's beautiful. I want to live in that kind of area, however, I fear that all opportunity lies in the city. I'm a teenager and I want to go into either astrobiology or become a surgeon, I hope to mix those two in my future. Yet the university I want to attend is in the downtown city. It's my dream university and I've been wanting to attend for years now, my chances of getting in seem pretty good. Hence, the issue arises, do I live in a city that I can't stand, suck it up for years to come and get a job and education? Or do I move to the country and become something less intense (in comparison to the fast pace hustle of the city) like a family doctor? I've always wanted to do something big with my life, hence becoming a surgeon to push medicine ahead or an astrobiologist to help find our way to new worlds. I used to love the fast-paced idea of the city but now, all I want to do is slow down, enjoy nature and rest my mind, which seems kind of silly considering how young I am. I don't think I'd survive in any other job than surgeon or astrobiologist, I love the idea of being challenged like that. The truth is plain and quite simple really, I have to live some part of my life in the city in order to attend university and for my career path, if I become a surgeon, I must live close to the hospital (most residing in the city) in case of emergent patients. Similarly to astrobiology, most research and meetings will occur in the city. However, as I was saying where I would love to live has about a 45-minute to 1-hour drive to the city. I was wondering if any of y'all had any other suggestions. Do I suck it up or commute? If you think there's no way to avoid the city, any tips for coping with it?

Well, you can concentrate on the benefits of living in a city; more things to do, more restaurants to try, probably greater diversity in terms of population/ethnicity/culture. There's also the fact that cities come in different sizes. I have worked in a city with a population of about 70,000. It's got a reputaion for great restaurants. In spite of it's relatively small size, the hospital is well-regarded, too. As a surgeon, there would be a hospital in many cities. As an astrobiologist, I'm going to guess the number of places you'd work would be very small. I commuted 30 miles each way to my job for 16 years. It was a little easier and more affordable because my spouse worked nearby and we commuted together. We did eventually move a little closer. Our state was flooded with new residents during COVID. The real estate in the city I work in increased in price by probably triple. (No exaggeration, it was nuts) One of our customers had a son-in-law who was a new resident at the hospital. He came into the city hoping to find a house or apartment 'within a tem-minute drive to the hospital.' There was literally nothing, or at least, nothing he could afford. You can start researching now. Many cities have Facebook pages. You can maybe join them and ask about what life is like living in or near that ciy.

Hey, there! My suggestion would be to first stay in the city to finish your education. When you are done with that, you can look for jobs outside the city, where you'd want to live. I myself am sure I won't live where I'm about to complete my university. I just stay for the time being to finish it up. Also, stay safe! If being in public transits don't feel right to you, find another transportation, or make sure you are surrounded by a mixed crowd when transporting.

Here's another thought: over the course of your life, you may move a couple times, or several. My tax preparer lives in a home owner's association. When you're there, right in it, you would think your pretty far into the suburbs. In reality, he's a five minute drive to the state's largest mall, and all the adjoining shopping centers. He didn't start out living there- it's a place he ended up when he reached his fifties, I think. I imagine a home there is mighty expensive. It wouldn't be realistic to assume you're going to afford that when you start out your career, but it's something to look forward to.